When it comes to casinos, a poker room is not a necessity, but it is a nice touch. Especially if there isn’t any sanctioned poker activity within a few hundred miles of you, a casino operating a poker game is sure to draw a significant amount of action. Such a situation has occurred at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Bristol, VA, which recently unveiled its new poker room to an excited clientele.
New Poker Room a “Tremendous Success”
Last month, the Bristol Hard Rock, which is located in the city that is shared between Virginia and Tennessee, introduced its new 14-table poker room, a move that was hailed by the casino’s management. “The new poker room has been a tremendous success,” Al Thompson, the Vice President of Casino Operations at Hard Rock Bristol, said to WJHL-TV during the grand opening. “This addition has only enhanced the entertainment experience for our guests.”
Bristol Hard Rock President Allie Evangelista echoed Thompson’s sentiments upon seeing the new room, which was supposed to open in January but was slightly delayed. “We are thrilled to see our casino patrons enjoying the poker room,” Evangelista commented to WJHL’s Faith Little. “This exciting new gaming opportunity further cements Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol as a premier entertainment and gaming destination.”
The new room is looking to provide everything that the discerning poker player might want, save for that one-outer on the river. The walls are decorated with several music-themed pieces of art (one features Country music legend and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Dolly Parton in a playing card motif). Tables are built for eight-handed play, with each playing location offering a USB station to charge any electronics that a player might have. Like many gaming facilities today, the poker room is non-smoking, making for a comfortable setting for a night of poker.
The 14-table room is starting slowly and will ramp up activities over the next few months. Currently the Hard Rock Bristol poker room is offering No Limit Texas Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha Hold’em, and occasional daily tournaments (potentially larger tournaments could be held depending on availability in the casino). The latest reviews of the room from PokerAtlas indicate that the room is “top notch,” but, as with most new operations, there are issues still to work out.
A Beacon of Poker in the Appalachians
There was the need for a gaming operation in Bristol, which is an extremely popular tourist destination on whichever side of the border you choose. It is a two-and-a-half hour drive to the nearest gaming facility, the Cherokee Caesars operation in Cherokee, North Carolina, and it is three-and-a-half hours to the newest casino operation in Virginia, the Caesars Danville site. Bristol, with its linchpin history to the world of country music and its world-renowned auto racing facilities (NASCAR visits the high-banked oval twice a year), was a natural spot for such a gaming operation to be located.
It has been a long journey to this point for the Bristol Hard Rock to come to life, however. In August 2022, the property started construction and was opened for business in November 2024. The operation features 620,000 square feet of gaming space, 1500 slot machines, fifty table games, a 303-room hotel, and a performance venue. The Hard Rock Live theater seats more than 2000 patrons and, when the casino opened, featured Blake Shelton as its opening act.
For more information on the Hard Rock Bristol, check out their website for more details.